Ernest Hemingway has long been credited with the ‘shortest story in the world.’

Supposedly, Hemingway was in competition, with some other authors, to write the shortest story possible – a work of flash fiction – and he came up with arguably a very sad one.

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn”

It’s a great example of powerful minimalist writing that, despite only being six words long, manages to evoke an emotional reaction in pretty much anyone who reads it.

(Turns out, it’s very unlikely to be the work of Hemingway who wasn’t really active as a writer when the story was first reported, but that’s not as good of a story).

In order to channel my inner Hemingway, recently, I’ve been trying to come up with alternative advertising slogans for popular brands but within the framework of minimalism.

It’s a fun way to pass the time on my commute to the office and as copywriters, it can teach us a lot.

But can minimalist copy be used out in the marketing space? Does it work?

Some minimalist copy

There are plenty of great examples of minimalist copywriting currently circulating the internet so I thought I would provide some examples here to show you what I mean.

“I’m lovin’ it” is a great example of minimalist copywriting in action. This slogan, as you no doubt already know, is from McDonalds and it tells you everything you need to know about what to expect from their food.

(Or at least, what they want you to think about it).

Volkswagen also seems to have embraced the minimalist copy strategy with their most recent iteration: “Das Auto” – literally meaning “the car.”

The same goes for Airbnb, whose slogan is “Belong anywhere.”

Yes, these are slogans, so they are meant to be short, but the same goes for web copy, like this from Duolingo:

“The free, fun, and effective way to learn a language!”

Or this, from Patagonia’s website:

“Our newest products are here. You’ll find natural hues, sleek tones and boisterous designs. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and everything, as always, is built to last a long time.”

In essence, minimalist copy is saying the most you possibly can with as few words as possible.

It’s a very hard skill to master.

As mentioned above, I’ve been trying to turn regular advertising slogans and copy into even more minimalist versions, cutting them down by a word or two but keeping the message the same.

(I’m not claiming to have made these slogans any better, it’s just a writing exercise).

Here are some examples of minimalist copywriting from my notebook:

• Nike
  • Current slogan: “Just do it”
  • Minimalist version: “Simply achieve”
• M&Ms
  • Current slogan: “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands”
  • Minimalist version: “Less mess”
• Red Bull
  • Current slogan: “It gives you wings”
  • Minimalist version: “Provides volancy”

I don’t think these brands are likely to prefer my version of their slogans, but I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.

How few words can we use to send the same message? That’s the minimalist copywriting goal.

How to write minimalistic copy

I believe that George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” should be mandatory reading for anyone looking to become a copywriter.

Orwell provides fantastic advice for political writers but most of his lessons translate well to the marketing and copywriting space.

In it, he writes:

“If it’s possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.”

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I often fall short on this goal but here are some further tips for writing minimalist copy:

• Simplify your sentence structure, if you can.
• Focus on the product’s key features.
• Maintain a consistent tone.
• Use white/negative space.
• Avoid fluff and filler at all costs.

Minimalist copywriting isn’t easy, but I hope that this article has demonstrated its utility and given you some ideas on how best to produce it.

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